New punters subscribing just to Virgin Media's broadband service can currently expect to pay £26.50 a month for entry-level download speeds of up to 50Mbit/s on a 12-month contract.

The ISP said the price increase would affect customers who joined Virgin Media before 29 May.

"As part of a review of our services, we are changing the price of taking just broadband from us," said Virgin Media broadband boss Joe Lathan. "Virgin Media is the only major provider able to supply broadband without a phone line because of our unique cable network and so we remain unbeatable value for money." ®